Descripción del proyecto
La formación de la memoria puede depender de que el tronco encefálico y el hipocampo estén en sintonía
Los mapas estructurales y funcionales del encéfalo y el tronco encefálico han arrojado mucha luz sobre los circuitos neuronales y sus interconexiones. Cuando se combina con estudios del comportamiento, la actividad interconectada puede vincularse a funciones superiores. Aunque que hace mucho que se sabe que el hipocampo tiene un papel fundamental en los procesos memorísticos, el papel del tronco encefálico en la memoria se desconoce en gran medida. Sin embargo, la actividad sincronizada se ha vinculado a la formación de la memoria y el tronco encefálico la modula durante el sueño y el estado de vigilia. DREAM está registrando a la vez la actividad neuronal en el tronco encefálico y en el hipocampo de ratones que realizan una tarea de memoria o de ratones que duermen. El procesamiento de señales avanzado y el aprendizaje automático podrían proporcionar un modelo de las interacciones dinámicas detrás del tronco encefálico y del hipocampo, y su relación con los procesos memorísticos.
Objetivo
Storing information and then using it to guide behaviour is one of the most remarkable abilities of the brain. Memory storage relies on network mechanisms in which the hippocampal formation interacts with the rest of the brain during periods of sleep. The neural computations associated with this process correlate with both enduring and transient changes in the excitability of neural circuits. Nuclei located in the brainstem dictate these ‘state changes’, modulating the signalling between groups of forebrain cells. However, the role of the brainstem in memory formation remains unknown. This project aims to determine the role of different sleep stages in memory formation and long-term consolidation, and to elucidate the functional role of the brainstem in these processes. To this end, I will use a battery of experimental techniques, mathematical methods and biophysical models to probe and analyse the neural activity of the brainstem-hippocampal system. Neuronal activity will be recorded concurrently from the pons, thalamus and hippocampus of mice while performing a reference memory task. I will identify specific neural mechanisms that trigger different hippocampal synchrony regimes and memory reactivations mediated by brainstem activity during wakefulness and sleep. For this, I will develop state-of-the-art methods based on signal processing and machine learning. Besides, using optogenetic tools, I will determine the causal role of the brainstem in regulating hippocampal circuits and the animals’ behavioural performance. Finally, I will develop a biophysical model to test how well different network mechanisms explain the dynamics of the interactions between the brainstem and the hippocampus. Understanding the detailed properties of the interactions between these systems of the brain in relation to memory processes will be an important step toward establishing neurophysiological markers that can be preventive targets to ameliorate effects of memory-related pathologies.
Ámbito científico
Programa(s)
Régimen de financiación
MSCA-IF-EF-ST - Standard EFCoordinador
3400 Klosterneuburg
Austria